Ethnobotanical investigation of herbal food additives of Morocco used as natural dyes Aziz Drioiche, Nadia Benhlima, Amale Kchibale, Salima Boutahiri, Atika Ailli, Fatima El Hilali, Brahim Moukaid and Touriya Zair Research additives, especially dyes. This wealth of plants is accompanied by knowledge and practices in Abstract phytotherapy acquired by the inhabitants over the centuries. We recommend that the documented We undertook this ethnobotanical study for plants be evaluated for their safety and efficiency in identifying and valorising medicinal plants exploited order to conclusively demonstrate their beneficial as food additives, and to establish a database of effects on health. aromatic and medicinal plants used as food additives in traditional phytotherapy in Morocco (Fez-Meknes, Beni-Mellal, Khenifra, Draa-Tafilalt). Correspondence Methods: An ethnobotanical investigation was 1* 1 carried out among 200 main actors in traditional Aziz Drioiche , Nadia Benhlima , Amale Kchibale1, Salima Boutahiri1, Atika Ailli1, Fatima medicine (herbalists, healers, collectors, El Hilali1, Brahim Moukaid2 and Touriya Zair1 researchers) of Meknes, El Hajeb, Taza, Azrou, Ain 1Research team of Chemistry Bioactive Molecules Leuh, Boulemane, Ifrane, Khenifra, M'rirt, and Midelt; and the Environment, University Moulay Ismail of data on the use of plants as food additives and Meknes-Faculty of Sciences, BP 11201, Zitoune, especially those used as tinctorial plants was Meknes-Morocco. collected via questionnaire sheets. The data was bSomafaco, Route d'El Jadida, Km 10,5 Lissasfa - then subjected to principal component analysis. Casablanca - Maroc 3Department of Science Education Agriculture, Faculty of Education and Results: The population surveyed use plants for Humanities, Gulu University, P.O. Box 166, Gulu three major purposes: therapeutic (39.60%), food (35.84%) and cosmetics (24.56%). Majority *Corresponding Author: Aziz Drioiche; (33.01%) of the people surveyed use plants to [email protected] / [email protected] provide aroma, followed by dyes (25.24%), spices (24.27%) and as food preservative (17.48%). We Ethnobotany Research & Applications identified 56 plants used as dyes among the 79 21:11 (2021) species identified. From a botanical point of view, the 79 species listed are divided into 35 families. The Key words: Ethnopharmacological survey, food most represented families are Asteraceae (16.55%), additives, dyes, preservatives, plants, inventory, Lamiaceae (15.17%), Punicaceae (7.24%) and Punica granatum L. Zingiberaccea (7.24%). The survey confirmed the excessive use of Punica granatum L., Curcuma Background longa L., Matricaria camomilla L., Crocus sativus L. Food additives represent a tiny part of our diet, are and Carthamus tinctorius L. now at the centre of a wide debate that feeds ignorance, prejudice and concern. According to Conclusion: This study showed that the indigenous Decree 1795-14 of the Ministry of Agriculture and the populations of the Pre-Rif, Middle Atlas and High Ministry of Health of Morocco, there are more than Atlas regions use the plants as natural food 250 authorized additives classified into 18 categories Manuscript received: 13/06/2020 – Revised manuscript received: 03/02/2021 - Published: 30/03/2021 http://dx.doi.org/10.32859/era.21.11.1-43 Ethnobotany Research and Applications 2 (Order of the Minister of Health Morocco 2014) of cultural landscapes, are undoubtedly among compared to 507 in France where it is divided into 24 Morocco's strengths. Their appreciations is likely to categories (Reynal et al. 2009). All additives restore economic and social dynamics and improved environmental sustainability in many rural areas. In (colourants, preservatives, antioxidants, stabilizers, this regard, the present study focuses on ancestral gellings, thickeners, flavours, taste enhancers, culinary and therapeutic knowledge in the pre-Rif, sweeteners) are added to foods to facilitate their Atlas and top Atlas regions to establish a catalogue manufacture, preservation and also to improve their and inventory of AMP used as food additives nutritional qualities (Chaudhary et al. 2010, Msagati (coloring, aroma and preservatives). The aim is to et al. 2012, Abdulmumeen et al. 2012). With the improve empirical knowledge through in-depth proliferation of out-of-home meals, and the presence scientific research, focused on verifying the pharmacological and nutritional value of plants in the of synthetic food dyes in most industrial dishes, it has study areas. This would later help in the identification become impossible to abstain from them. of new bioactive molecules of food and pharmaceutical interest. Synthetic dyes usually contain chemicals that in high doses, could cause bloating, nausea and vomiting Methods (Selar 2017). In the interest of preventing such problems, a permissible daily dose, below which no Study area effect is found in the organism, has been defined for The study area consists of 10 sites: Meknes, El some dyes, without raising the issue of the lack of Hajeb, Taza, Azrou, Ain Leuh, Boulemane, Ifrane, information for consumers. Some synthetic dyes are Khenifra, M'rirt, Midelt (Fig. 1). These sites can be also suspected carcinogens (Fiolet et al. 2018, grouped into three areas of the pre-rif mountains, the Takkouche et al. 2005). In this scenario, the Middle Atlas and the High Atlas. These regions are exploration natural plant resources to replace synthetic colouring is crucial. The pharmaceutical, reputed for traditional medicine. cosmetics and food Industries look forward for the replacement of synthetic dyes with harmless Sampling biocolourants. Complex and multidisciplinary studies Ethnobotanical surveys were conducted between have shown the colouring properties of aromatic and July 2017 and July 2018 to obtain a varied and medicinal plants (AMP) which are exploited as comprehensive inventory. The sample consisting of natural colourants (Kundal et al. 2016, Chengaiah et herbalists, healers, collectors, researchers al. 2010). This diversity of the species (Table 1) has (pharmacists, doctors and academics) and shown that the plant kingdom, especially aromatic associated actors was subdivided into ten strata, and medicinal plants, is a repository of natural representing rural and urban municipalities. Using bioactive substances with potential to be used as simple randomized sampling, 20 informants were food additives, especially as natural dyes with then trained for each of the ten strata, and then are diverse therapeutic virtues. grouped to obtain a comprehensive sample of 200 informants. In Morocco, dyeing plants (saffron, safflower, pomegranate and madder) are renowned for their A fact sheet in the form of a questionnaire (appendix tinctorial qualities (yellow and red sources) and their 1) was designed to collect as much information as pharmacological and nutritional properties. Thus, possible about the person surveyed (age, level of many edible plants, used as food dyes (carrot, grape education, profession and family situation), data skin, onion peel, walnut scramble, etc) are, ancestral sources of pigments. However, we find that few relating to AMP (areas of use; food uses as scientific studies have been conducted on natural colourant, spices, preservatives, and flavourings; dyes derived from tinctorial plant extracts. parts used and the adverse effects of these plants), and know-how concerning the therapeutic and food Currently, despite the progress of pharmacology, the uses of natural colourants therapeutic and food use of AMP is persistent in many countries, especially developing countries Data Analysis Using Ethnobotanical Indices (Botineau 2012). Indeed, of the 500,000 species of plants on earth, at least 80,000 would have valuable medicinal properties (Anderson et al. 1982). Like Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC) other parts of the world, Morocco is a veritable Relative frequency of citations reveals the local reservoir of plant genetic resources, with about 4,500 importance of each medicinal plant species used by species and subspecies of vascular plants (Dupont peoples in the region. This index can also provide an et al. 2015). Traditional medicine has always played indication of medicinal species are best known or an important role in Moroccan pharmacopeia. Also, have been used for a long time by the majority of traditional food know-how is now recognized as a informants and can be a source of reliability heritage that must be conserved, valued and (Ouelbani et al. 2016). Knowledge about the reinvented. Biodiversity, the quality and diversity of medicinal uses of plants is easily preserved for future local know-how and products, as well as the beauty generations when the maximum number of dividing the citation frequency (CF) (the number of informants know the species. The relative citation informants mentioning a useful species) by the total frequency (RFC) of species was calculated by number of informants in the survey (N). This RFC Ethnobotany Research and Applications 3 index ranges from 0 (when a species is not the socio-demographic information collected mentioned by any user as useful) to 1 (when all regarding plants used as food additives in each study respondents mentioned the species as useful). RFC region, and on the other hand, between information was calculated by using the formula RFC = FC/N about the use of plants in each study site. (Vitalini et al. 2013). Intermediate correlation matrixes, correlation Processing the results coefficients between variables and